On Purpose
by kaydeeshay
Summary: There's one other tiny thing that's been holding Josh back from being with Maya besides the three year age difference. *fluffy oneshot* (takes place after ski lodge part 2)


**A/N: This is incredibly cheesy and silly, but after Ski Lodge Part 2, I HAD to write some Joshaya! Thanks to those who have read and will read!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World**

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 _"Josh, I don't get it. You said you like me. You know I like you. I feel like I've given you plenty of space. Why can't we be together? So help me, if you say it's because of our age differences again..."_

 _"No, no. It's not that. It's just..." He placed his head in his hands, letting out an extremely frustrated groan. "It's complicated." He did want to be with her. He wanted to be with her more than she could ever understand._

 _Maya merely shook her head as tears formed in her eyes. "Fine. Then I'll uncomplicate it for you. I like you a lot, but I can't keep sitting around like an idiot, waiting for you to be ready. I'm done. I give up."_

 _"Maya, wait!" he called out desperately, watching as she disappeared from his view. Running his fingers through his hair, he felt an incredibly intense ache in his chest. He wasn't quite sure what hurt more; the fact that the free-spirited blonde he had come to adore had given up on any chance she'd had to be his girlfriend or that it was his own fault. If only he could have told her what had been holding him back in the first place. Something so simple. How could he be so stupid?_

Josh awoke abruptly from his dream with a slight jump, slowly rubbing his eyes. Taking a few moments to become more alert, he gazed around as he realized he was in his older brother's living room after falling asleep on the couch the night before. It had been two days since they had returned from their trip, but he was still trying to get his energy back from all the chaperoning.

"MY BROTHA!" Cory cried from the kitchen once he noticed that Josh was awake.

"My brotha," he responded, his tone completely unenthusiastic.

"Alright, that had a little less 'umph' behind it than I wanted, but I get it. I'm not a morning person, either."

Josh let out a half-hearted smile. At that moment, Cory knew there was something more bothering him. He was about to ask what, but he didn't have to. "Cory, what do you do when you're crazy about someone but there's something holding you back from being with them? And what if that something might be incredibly ridiculous?"

"Well," Cory began, walking into the living room and placing a bowl of cereal in front of him, "that would obviously depend on the person and situation." He plopped down on the couch, casually crossing his arms behind his head as he made a promise to himself to keep his cool no matter what information was about to be conveyed.

"It's Maya," Josh blurted out.

Cory jumped up and clapped his hands together excitedly. "Oh, this is gonna be good!"

Josh rolled his eyes slightly and leaned back against the couch. "Maybe this was a bad idea. Never mind."

His big brother shook his head, then gave an apologetic shrug. "Too late. Most of the damage has already been done. You may as well spill the rest. Come on. Talk to me," he encouraged, forcing himself to calm down. He sat down again cautiously, hoping that his freak out wouldn't keep Josh from doing so.

"I really like Maya..."

"Right. We've already established that part."

"But she's Riley's best friend."

Cory stared at Josh blankly as they sat there in silence for a second. "So?"

"So, I'm worried that if Maya and I started dating it would be really weird for her. I mean, I'm her uncle, you know?"

Cory nodded in understanding. "Uh-huh," he stated slowly, placing his fingers on his chin. "Have you talked to Riley about it?"

Josh shook his head. "I've been doing my best to avoid it. A little afraid of how she might react."

Cory nodded in the direction of Riley's room. "Maybe you should."

Pondering his brothers advice over breakfast, he finally decided that it probably was for the best. He dashed up the stairs, standing in front of her door for a moment, trying to form what he wanted to say in his mind. Finally, he gave a light tap and she opened it almost immediately, her eyes crinkling into small slits as a vibrant grin took over. "Hey, uncle Josh. What's up?" She bounded back in the direction of the bay window excitedly, motioning for him to come in.

"Oh, not much. Kind of wanted to talk to you about something." he confessed, taking a seat beside her. "What are you doing?"

"Reading." Upon examining his face, she could tell he was a little uneasy. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I mean, yes. I don't know. Maybe."

Riley's expression glazed over with apprehension. "You're making me nervous! Spit it out, man!"

"I like Maya," he declared delicately.

Riley laughed. "Of course you do. Maya's the best person I know. Who wouldn't?"

"No, Riles. You're not getting it. I mean... I want to be her boyfriend."

Riley's tone dropped an octave. "Oh."

Josh heaved a defeated sigh. "I knew you wouldn't be comfortable with it. I understand. Really. I'll back off. There are plenty of other girls out there." The ache in his chest he'd experienced during his dream became a reality. _The problem is those girls won't be Maya._

"It's not that. I'm surprised, that's all. I mean, she told me what you two talked about at the lodge. I just didn't think anything would ever come of it. I thought the reason you didn't want to be with her was because of your age differences."

"It was. At first. Once I started to notice how she seemed to care about me and what a great person she is, three years didn't seem like such a big deal, but then I was worried you wouldn't be comfortable with us dating."

Riley frowned. "I wish you would have told me. How long have you felt this way?"

"A while."

"You should tell her!"

Josh blinked slowly. "You're... you're serious? You would be okay with her being my girlfriend?"

"Absolutely! Why wouldn't I?"

Josh shrugged. "I don't know. I'm your uncle, she's your best friend. You've joked yourself that it would be like she was your aunt; I didn't want it to be awkward for you."

"I was completely teasing about the aunt thing! Besides, Maya is already like a part of our family. You're right. You're my uncle, and she's my best friend, which means I love you both. I want you to be happy. I know how crazy she is about you. If you have feelings for her, too, I can't think of a better person for you to be with. She gave Lucas permission to be with me when she wasn't sure if she had feelings for him all this time. Did you honestly think I would deny you two the same happiness?"

Josh let out a small sigh of relief, flashing her a big grin. "You're the best, you know that?"

"I know," she responded meekly. "What are you still doing here? Go! Go! Tell her how you feel!"

"I will!" He bounded toward the open door, but once he reached it, he turned around quickly. "Where is she again?"

Riley let out a tiny laugh. "With her mom at the diner."

Josh nodded his head vigorously and ran down the stairs. "Be back in a little bit!" he shouted to Cory, who was still sitting on the couch where his wife had joined him.

Topanga craned her neck curiously, cringing a little as the door shut behind Josh with a loud bang. "Where's he going?"

"Let's just say he's on a mission," Cory answered with a smile.

Topanga was about to press further, but merely shrugged it off. She knew she would find out what was going on eventually. She always did.

Josh jogged the couple of blocks to the diner to find Maya sitting outside on the patio with headphones in her ears, her head bobbing along to the music she was listening to. Her eyes lit up when she saw him as they typically did, happily taking her headphones out. "Hey, you. What's up?"

"I'm going back to Philadelphia in a couple of days and I can't leave without telling you something," he stated in a rush.

"Oh-okay..." she stammered, suddenly nervous. Was he going to tell her that he didn't plan on attending NYU after all? That he was no longer in it for the long game and their conversations at the lodge had been a terrible mistake?

He continued to peer into her eyes anxiously, and it was taking every bit of his self-control not to grab her by the hand. "I had a terrible dream this morning. Remember at the lodge when I told you that I would never not want you in my life?"

Maya couldn't form words, so she nodded. Of course she remembered. She remembered everything when it came to him.

"In my dream, I waited too long," he told her quietly. "I waited too long to tell you how I felt and I lost what could've been. I lost _you_ ," he whispered, his voice shaking.

"Josh," she whispered back, "it's okay."

"No, it's not," he interrupted. "That's why I'm here. To tell you that there was something else holding me back besides the age difference."

Maya arched her eyebrows, completely intrigued now. "And what would that be?"

He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "It's pretty stupid."

She smirked. "Try me."

"Whether or not Riley was comfortable with the idea of you and me."

In some sense, Maya could see why he felt it was ridiculous; Riley and she had a bond that was entirely unbreakable. Everyone could see that, so of course Josh should have been aware that his niece would be alright with the two of them dating.

On the other hand, she could also see why he felt why Riley might have an issue with it. They had both made jokes about Maya's crush on him for ages, but the fact that Josh had such respect for Riley's feelings made her heart melt. Every time she thought she couldn't possibly gain stronger feelings for the boy in front of her, he always managed to prove her wrong.

"I take it she is?" Maya inquired casually.

"Yeah," Josh said, his grin growing even wider.

Maya tried with all of her might to stop the grin tugging at the corner of her lips, but failed. "So what are you saying?" she asked, forcing her icy blue eyes to keep contact with his own. Her tone was breathless and hopeful when she spoke again. "Today is someday?"

Josh nodded eagerly, his voice low. "Someday is right here, right now." He reached out across the table and took her hand in his own, intertwining their fingers delicately. "I want to be with you."

Maya's breath hitched, their hands still holding on to each other as he began to lean across the table incredibly slowly. At least, that's how it felt to Maya because her heart started to pound and her stomach was unexpectedly attacked with butterflies.

The moment his lips met hers, however, she felt her anxiety melt away. There was something so natural about it; they were soft and sweet, just as she had always imagined.

He leaned in further to deepen the kiss, using his free hand to delicately caress her cheek with his thumb. The slight tickle sent a small shiver down her spine, and she smiled against his lips. _Finally._

After they broke apart, she noticed that she was not the only one breathless. He flashed her his famous playful smirk. "I'm glad I stayed in it for the long game."

"So am I," she murmured teasingly, leaning in once again to give him a light peck on the lips.

There had never been any doubt in Maya's mind that her feelings for Josh ran deeper than a mere crush. Her confusing feelings for Lucas had clouded her judgement for a while, but her instincts when she found out Josh would be going with them to the lodge had been whispering that her feelings for him hadn't gone away. Their conversations there managed to send the whisper into a full on scream; it was him she wanted to be with. It always had been. She had longed for the day that he might finally realize the same thing. Everything that had happened up to that point had been no accident.

She couldn't help but think to herself as they walked hand-in-hand into the diner that things were really falling into place lately. She had a mother who did her best to make sure that she was provided for, a soon-to-be stepfather whom she knew was definite father figure material, four best friends that loved her unconditionally when she was at her worst and willing to continue to bring out her best, and now she had a new boyfriend who gave her even more hope for the future. Whatever it held for her, she knew it would be a lot easier with them by her side. She would never take any of it for granted.

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 **Love it? Hate it? Feel free to comment! Feedback is very encouraging. Also, I titled it On Purpose because I love Sabrina's new song! If you haven't heard it yet, you should definitely go give it a listen. Thanks so much for taking the time to read if you did. Hope you enjoyed. MUAH! XoXo**


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